I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to carpet installing tools, and more specifically to a hand-operated seam roller which operates to draw the edges of two carpet runs being laid into a tight abutting relationship along a seam line while simultaneously setting the carpet edges firmly into the adhesive.
II. Discussion of the Prior Art
When installing carpet on a floor which is wider than the length of the carpet roll, it becomes necessary to abut two or more runs of carpeting from that roll in a side-by-side relationship on the floor along a seam line. It is, of course, desirable that once the carpeting is installed, the seam lines be invisible. It is also common practice to adhesively bond the carpet edges to the underlying flooring along and on either side of the seam line so that the seam will not come apart and become frayed and therefore visible. Hot melt adhesives are now commonly used.
To set the seam, carpet installers have in the past employed heavy rollers which are drawn over the seam line and which function to set the carpeting firmly against the adhesive layer. A problem has existed, however, in that as the rolling operation takes place, it is important that the edges of the two carpet runs being joined not separate. This requires the installer to repeatedly set the roller aside, pull the edges of the carpet together, pick up the roller, roll the seam, etc. which is cumbersome and time consuming.
The Gundlack Corporation of Belville, Ill., makes a carpet roller sold under the trademark "Carpet Tractor", but this device does not work to pull the seam edges together. It only can be used to apply a vertical force to set the carpet into the softened adhesive. The Orcon Corporation of Union City, Calif., makes a carpet roller sold under the trademark "Flex-Roller" which, while the rollers are configured to provide a tangential force tending to force the edges together, these forces are constantly applied as the tool is used and it results in frequent overlapping of the carpet edges, which, of course, must be avoided if the seam is to be unnoticeable. Both of the above prior art devices also leave unsightly and noticeable tracks on some carpet fabrics.